TexMessage

Friday, April 12

Good morning, TexMessagers! Do you support a special committee to investigate Benghazi?

TEXclusive

A Marine honor guard stands beside people attend a public memorial in honor of slain U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens in the rotunda of City Hall in San Francisco, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012. Stevens, 52, and three other Americans were killed Sept. 11 when gunmen attacked the United States Mission in Benghazi, Libya. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

A score of Texas lawmakers have co-sponsored a bill that would establish a House special committee to conduct an investigation into the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that occurred September 11, 2012.

The attacks took the lives of four Americans working at the embassy, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. The details surrounding the response from Washington have been fuzzy. The White House investigation is ongoing, and Rep. Adam Schiff of California called the process ‘painfully slow’.

The bill was proposed in January, but has seen little movement although it has wide support. There are currently 89 co-sponsors of the bill. Of the 20 original cosponsors, four were Texans: Randy Weber of Pearland, Pete Olson of Sugar Land, Kevin Brady of The Woodlands, and Bill Flores of Bryan. This week, it has received support from the mother of a victim, hundreds of U.S. Veterans, and Rep. Steve Stockman from Friendswood.

Patricia Smith, mother of slain State Department officer Sean Smith, has officially endorsed the legislation and begs lawmakers to find out who killed her son.

In a letter addressed to Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., the bills sponsor, Smith says the four men killed have been abandoned by the administration. She said President Obama, Vice President Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and ex-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta promised her they would find out the details of her sons death and “let her know.”

Smith says she has received one call from a clerk since her son’s casket service in Washington.

“I agree completely with items 1 thru 16 of this resolution. I especially want to know WHY the four were abandoned the way they were,” the letter reads.

Sean Smith expressed his concerns just before the attack to his mother, telling her he had asked repeatedly for more security.

Political action committee “Special Operations Speaks” sent an open letter to Congress endorsing the bill. The letter was sent by 700 retired military special operations professionals who say they have a deep passion for discovering the truth behind the attacks.

The purpose of this letter is to encourage all members of the U.S. House of Representatives to support H.Res. 36, which will create a House Select Committee on the Terrorist Attack in Benghazi. It is essential that a full accounting of the events of September 11, 2012, be provided and that the American public be fully informed regarding this egregious terrorist attack on US diplomatic personnel and facilities. We owe that truth to the American people and the families of the fallen.

On April 9, Stockman also advocated for the legislation. In an open letter to Congress, Stockman says it seems there has been “no serious effort to determine crucial details of this attack.”

“Clearly, this is unacceptable and requires accountability. America has always held to the notion that no American will be left behind and that every effort will be made to respond when US personnel are threatened,” Stockman said.

Below, Rep. Louie Gohmert of Tyler comments on the attacks in February on Fox News:

★ Energy and Power Subcommittee of House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on draft legislation that would prohibit the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating energy-related rules that are estimated to cost more than $1 billion at 9:30 a.m.

★ Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of House Appropriations Committee will hold hearings on proposed fiscal 2014 appropriations for agencies, programs and activities under its jurisdiction at 10:30 a.m.

★ April 15 The Senate Judiciary Committee has a hearing on the targeted killing by drones

★ April 16 The Senate Armed Services Committee has a hearing on Afghanistan

★ April 16 Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee of House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing on the proposed fiscal 2014 budget request for the U.S. Coast Guard and related marine transportation programs.

★ April 16 House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing on the impact sequestration has had on D.C. visitors

Today in Texas History

On this date in 1981, the space shuttle Columbia was launched into space for the first time.More>>>